I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve been chosen as the first Writer in Residence at The Word, the National Centre for the Written Word.

I’m spending seven days at The Word and I’ll be creating a new short story while I’m there. The dates of my residency are:

Day 1 – Tuesday 21/3

Day 2 – Friday 24/3

Day 3 – Saturday 25/3

Day 4 – Wednesday 5/4

Day 5 – Sunday 9/4

Day 6 – Monday 10/4

Day 7 – Thursday 13/4

My writing will be inspired by the fantastic building and by speaking to the many people who use it – I’m particularly interested in what those people were doing before The Word was built, and what it is they do in the building now it’s here. I’ll be talking to people about their lives – I want to hear their stories.

Are you in Newcastle? Can you get to Newcastle? Maybe you own a helicopter or know how to drive a submarine. Perhaps you know of the secret Tunnel that Goes Wherever You Like (I find this one particularly handy.) If you enjoy books and aren’t put off by meeting actual authors then you should come along to the town where all the castles are still under warranty. Yes, Newcastle-upon-Tyne is home to this year’s UKYA and Children’s Extravaganza, or UKYACX 2016 as hip cats like me call it.

I’m one of many, many, many, many authors who’ll be there on the day. Tickets start at just £3! That like 9p (or something) per author! Amazing value. Don’t believe me? You do the math(s):

It’s like a beauty pageant, but for authors. Come along, say hello, let me know what you think of my swimsuit.

Do you live near Middlesbrough in the UK? I’m doing a free event in Waterstones Middlesbrough later this month with fellow author Stephen Aryan. Stephen is the author of the Age of Darkness trilogy. Battlemage, the first book in the series was published in September 2015 by Orbit books in the USA and UK. Book 2, Bloodmage, is due out on April 12th 2016.

The event is going to be a very relaxed discussion on books and getting published, and you can buy a book and get it signed if you like. Here’s the details, please spread the word and call the bookshop to let them know you’re coming along.

Join us for an evening of conversation with local sci-fi/ fantasy authors Stephen Aryan and Niel Bushnell. They’ll be talking and answering questions about their new books and how to get published.

The authors will also be signing copies of their books to anyone who would like to purchase one on the night.

The event is free but you will need a ticket to get in. Tickets can be obtained in store or by calling and speaking to a bookseller.

The second edition of Writing & Stuff is now live on YouTube for your pleasure, affection and scorn. This time I talk about character and how sometimes you need to take a step back from your work and figure out what purpose that character serves within your story. Also I visit the Game On exibition in Newcastle and review IDW’s Miracleman Artifact Edition collection. Please do subscribe, hit the like button or leave a comment. Thanks.

As the year draws to a close I’m about to complete my last school event of 2014. I’ve done lots of talks, workshops and signings this year so I thought I’d share some highlights with you.

MacMillan Academy, Middlesbrough. I spent a week at the MacMillan Academy helping the pupils develop and write a script for an animated film about climate change. Under the guidance of animator Mark Jobe the pupils designed and animated their script. The completed film has gone on to be short-listed for awards and screened at the Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival, Kids for Kids UK at the BFI Southbank and will be screened at Hollywood Shorts in Los Angeles this November.

The District CE Primary, Newton-le-Willows. I was thrilled to be asked to be Patron of Reading by the staff at the District CE Primary school. I enjoyed visiting their pupils in September where I was spoilt with cakes in the staff room and a 3D cut-out display of my books in reception!

Read Regional 2014. Read Regional is a promotional campaign that connects writers living in the North East and Yorkshire with their local readers. Organised through New Writing North the campaign partners with library authorities throughout the region to hold author events and to ensure brilliant books by northern authors are stocked in libraries. I was very pleased to be included in the 2014 campaign, I visited libraries all over the north of England and met hundreds of enthusiastic readers.

The Avenue Primary School, Middlesbrough.This Tees Valley Arts funded project helped the pupils to create their own story for a play about electricity consumption. Over a series of workshops they brainstormed ideas, developed characters and the story then rehearsed and performed the play.

The Uppsala International Authors Stage, Uppsala City Library, Sweden. This was my second trip to Sweden as an author, having been to the Gothenburg Book Fair in 2013. This time I went to Uppsala at the invitation of Jan from The English Bookshop. He organised three events including a talk and signing at the city library and his bookshop.

And there were so many more I could mention! I did a day of back-to-back talks at St James’ Park football ground in Newcastle for the National Literacy Trust Premier League Reading Stars initiative (and I reversed my car into a bollard outside the stadium!) and a book signing in Waterstones for the launch of Timesmith. But every event has memorable moments, little gems that linger in the mind. Sometimes it’s the amazing unexpected ideas that a pupil will come up with, sometimes it’s the moments of comedy that I shouldn’t be laughing at – a carpet fart by a very young pupil springs to mind, but most of all it’s the genuine excitement and enthusiasm I see for reading when a school brings an author in to visit. Of course I’m bound to tell you how important author visits can be for pupils! But don’t take my word for it. There’s been lots of research done that shows the great benefits of getting authors into schools. You can find some of it here.

Here’s a few recent testimonials:

”Just to say on behalf of Unity City Academy how much we enjoyed this afternoon with Niel Bushnell, the students have come away with some brilliant ideas.”

“Niel has definitely inspired some successors to his literary throne and we have even had the questions ‘when is the next book out?’ and ‘is Niel coming back?’ It was a special afternoon and allowed our students access to an opportunity, which they normally would not have access to. Definitely another building block in Manor College’s literacy and reading community – thanks Niel!”

Miss Clark (AST in Literacy), Manor College of Technology, Hartlepool.

“Warwickshire Schools Library Service shortlisted Niel Bushnell’s first novel – Sorrowline – for our 2014 secondary book award. We were thrilled when Niel agreed to attend the celebration ceremony, and he willingly took to the stage, telling three hundred 11 and 12 year olds about his upbringing and writing life. He was a natural at this and thoroughly engaged the audience. He read from his second book and the pupils all eagerly bought copies afterwards. He also worked well with another author at the ceremony whom he had never met before and fielded questions of all kinds from the audience. We’d really recommend him for author visits to schools and libraries!”

Stella Thebridge, Manager, Warwickshire SLS

If your school, library, bookshop or festival is looking for a children’s author then please do get in touch. I’m booking up now for 2015 and keen to meet new readers. For event inquiries please email .

Had a great week working with the pupils from Macmillan Academy in Middlesbrough with Mark Jobe from Quay Animation. Together we helped the pupils write, design and animate a short film about climate change and the effects of flooding. Former Macmillan pupil and BBC Breakfast business reporter Steph McGovern dropped in to see what we were up to.

Last year I was lucky enough to be asked by New Writing North to go to the Gothenburg Book Fair in Sweden. I had a great time and made some new friends, including Jan Smedh from The English Bookshop in Uppsala, Sweden. Since then Jan and I have stayed in touch and he was kind enough to invite me over to his bookshop in Uppsala.

Jan arranged two events, the first was part of his regular Doctor Who night. I met his loyal and eccentric customers, many of them in costume (including a knitted Dalek dress!), and told them about my work on the Ice Warriors animation for the Doctor Who DVD range. The event was packed, and seemed to go down really well.There was even Dalek themed cake. Afterwards Jan asked me to sign the stockroom door frame, alongside Sylvester McCoy and Robin Hobb! I was honoured! The shop itself is well worth a visit, crammed full of books and full of old fashioned bookshop charm.

The second event was in the nearby Upsalla Library where Jan interviewed me about my writing. A troupe of students from a nearby school had all read Sorrowline and were armed with some very in-depth questions. They were kind enough to buy copies of Timesmith as well!

Jan even took time out to take me on a grand walking tour of Uppsala, pointing out the town’s history – and it turns out everyone knows him! He’s living in the Swedish Bedford Falls! I had a really good time and Jan was the perfect host, he and his lovely wife, Isabella, kept me topped up with excellent home cooked Swedish delights! Hopefully it won’t be too long before I’m able to return to the beauty of Scandinavia.

To celebrate the publication of Timesmith last week the nice people at Waterstones Middlesbrough arranged for me to do a signing event in their store.

Apart from the launch event for Sorrowline, which was a different sort of event, it’s the first time I’ve done a book shop appearance. When I do school events the audience doesn’t have a lot of choice about being there – although I hope they enjoy themselves – but a bookstore audience is very different. Apart from a few friends who dropped by (with a cuppa and a muffin, thank you very much!) the majority of people were passing customers who hadn’t heard of me or my books before. In spite of my lack of infamy they were keen to talk, ask about my books and even purchase them! And not just Sorrowline! Many took the plunge and bought both books!

I had a great time meeting, chatting and signing, and I can’t wait to do my next book shop event! There’s talk of more soon, once it’s confirmed I’ll put the details on my events page.

The day I’d been looking forward to and dreading in equal measure had finally arrived: the launch of my very first book, Sorrowline.

I’ve done my fair share of public speaking before – mostly as part of my day job as an animation director and producer – but this was different, this was my book! This was going to be a public reading of something very personal, and I had no one else to fall back on or blame!

Animation is a team effort, a collaboration with lots of creative people who come together to produce the finished article. Every author has his team too: agent, editor, publisher, family. But for the most part it’s a lonely path to publication. So as I arrived at Waterstones I felt like a singer who had dumped his band and gone solo.

But I was hardly alone: I had lots of support on the night. Not only had my wife, children and parents come along, but my agent, Juliet Mushens had made the long trip up into the wilds of the North for the evening, bringing with her a heavy does of cold. Eve Warlow, Andersen’s publicist, also came up from London to cheer me on. And as the room filled up I saw many familiar faces: old friends, work mates, and a healthy peppering of regional authors. New Writing North have encouraged so many of us along the way to publication that we’ve become a sort of unofficial gang, who often appear at each others events. Honestly, it’s great to see such warm support. So you can imagine, with so many people there who knew me, the stakes were high. I really didn’t want to fluff this!

Colin Mulhern is an old friend who happens to have two books of his own on the shelves of Waterstones. Authors Dan Smith and Mari Hannah also turned up to show their support.

The event was a shared launch with fellow Northern Writers Awards alumni, Celia Bryce launching her teen novel, Anthem for Jackson Dawes (Bloomsbury, 2013). Celia had her own supporters there too, so the room was packed! Emergency chairs were hastily summoned out of storage!

Me and Celia Bryce show off our books.

The event was hosted by Rebecca Wilkie, Programme Manager for New Writing North, and Celia and I took it in turns to read an extract from our books, and answer questions. I’m relieved to say that in spite of my nerves I think I did OK. It all went over so quickly, and I can barely remember what I babbled on about, but no one heckled or left.

Keep talking, Niel. It’ll all be over soon enough!

The readings are over, and the relief is evident!

The best part of the night was meeting so many people afterwards wanting to buy my book and have it signed. My signature is a scrawl to behold, and I’m certain it devalues any copy immediately, but it didn’t stop people wanting me to scribble inside their copies. Then, in a whirl of chatter, it was over! We decamped to a nearby pub for a much needed pint or three where I refused to allow my poorly agent to leave for the early night she needed! I was in giddy party mode and no amount of sick friends was going to stop me!

Signing books is tricky when you’re left-handed!

I have to say a massive thank you to the friendly staff at Waterstones Newcastle, and to New Writing North and Andersen Press for pulling it all together. Also thanks to Chris Chatterton for taking most of these pictures. You can see some more on my Facebook page here. (Click the Like button to get future updates.) And for some other views on the event take a look at these two blogs: Robyn’s Nest: Tea with an author and Colin Mulhern: Double Whammy.

So, my first book launch was a success! No one died, I didn’t fall into a tower of books, I didn’t swear, I didn’t spell anyone’s name wrong, and most importantly I didn’t projectile vomit over the front row of the audience. Still, there’s always next time…